Thread: Bells chime for Independence Day

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University | 9/16/2005
Bells chime for Independence Day
MACC hosts 'Fiesta Dies y Seis' to mark Mexican holiday
By Elle Espronceda


Mariachi Relampago performed at the Main Mall Thursday afternoon for the Fiesta Dies y Seis celebration hosted by the Mexican American Culture Committee. Dies y Seis de Septiembre celebrates Mexican Independence.
Media Credit: Dean Sagun
Mariachi Relampago performed at the Main Mall Thursday afternoon for the Fiesta Dies y Seis celebration hosted by the Mexican American Culture Committee. Dies y Seis de Septiembre celebrates Mexican Independence.


The University celebrated Mexico's Independence Day with the 26th annual "Fiesta Dies y Seis" on the Main Mall Thursday evening.

The Student Events Center and the Mexican American Culture Committee hosted the celebration.

Frozen paletas, or fruit popsicles, and mariachi music in the air, the crowd attended the festivities beginning with sing-along favorites such as "Malaguena Salerosa," the traditional ringing of the bells and an authentic Mexican dinner.

The Mexican American Culture Committee, started in 1973, is the oldest Hispanic group on campus.

According to committee chair, Missy Chavez Quintela, the event brings in a higher number of guests each year. "We're very proud to host an event of this capacity that shows the University's acceptance and enthusiasm for different cultural events. It's exciting to host an event with the ability to grow in size and turnout each year."

One of the bands that played at the event, Maneja Beto, described their music as "polycultural" and "borderless" with political undertones. Mariachi Estrella, another band that played earlier in the evening, provided more traditional sounds of Mexico for party revelers. For many students, the event offered an experience Abraham Zamora, a history sophomore, described as "a chance to get to know about my culture, about my past."

Dies y Seis marks the celebrated anniversary of Mexico's Independence Day. Mexico's revolutionary figure came in the unlikely form of a Catholic priest, Father Miguel Hildago y Costilla. Frustrated with more than 300 years of native oppression by the Spanish rule and caste system, Father Hildalgo rang the local church bell, calling the natives of the village to mass.

Instead of a sermon, Hidalgo preached to the mestizos to revolt against the Gachupines, or native Spaniards, that were the source of their exploitation and oppression. With limited options and military force, Hidalgo's inclusion of Mexico's lowest class in the revolution transformed the movement from a political maneuver into a bitter class struggle. Armed only with rudimentary weapons, the Mexican army fought and eventually won the 10-year wear against the Spanish.

MACC is also co-sponsoring a lecture with Robert Rodriguez Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Texas Union Ballroom.

George Gongora/Caller-Times

Miller High School students Victoria Garza (from left), a senior; Laura Robledo, a junior; Dolly Guerrero, a senior; Melissa Rodriguez, a sophomore; and Claudia Vazquez, a senior, prepare the school stage with paper flowers and Mexican historical figures in preparation for the
http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/a ... 87,00.html

celebration of the 195th anniversary of Mexico’s independence day.
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Efforts of area people made advance possible

S. Texas and Kingsville were core of Chicano civil rights movement

By Venessa Santos-Garza Caller-Times
September 15, 2005

Heritage and history go hand in hand.

Without those who handed out water during marches or those who held picket signs during the Raymondville onion boycotts in the late 1960s at the height of the Chicano Rights movement, there likely would be no Hispanic Heritage Month, said a visiting scholar at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

South Texas and Kingsville, in particular, were the center of the Chicano civil rights movement where students of Texas A&I were being empowered by a sense of community and pushed for national recognition and voice, said Felipe de Ortego y Gasca, lecturer of English and bilingual studies.


Heritage Events
MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE
Mexican Independence Day Celebration featuring South Texas Amigos de Mexico and Mexican Consul Edgar Hurtado giving the traditional "grito" is at 7 p.m. today at the Miller High School Auditorium, 1 Battlin’ Buc Blvd. Free. Information: 814-0676.

HECHO EN OAXACA EXHIBIT
The exhibit "Hecho en Oaxaca," or "Made in Oaxaca,’’ is on display today through Oct. 15 at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. About 30 lithographs from artists in Oaxaca, Mexico, will be on display in the west gallery. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Free. Information: (361) 593-2810.

SEPTIEMBRE CELEBRATION
The Diez y Seis de Septiembre Celebration presented by the City of Corpus Christi Parks & Recreation Department’s Cultural Services is from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday at Heritage Park, 1581 N. Chaparral St. Featuring performances by Mariachi Los Viajeros, Tejano Bands Los Gallitos Copetones, Inzendio, and the Klaro Band, vocalists Teresa Rico and José Fernando, and the dance groups Grupo Tlaloc Danza Azteca Texas (Aztec Dance ) and Alcorta’s Folklórico. Free.
Information: 883-0639 or www.ccpark
andrec.com.

"It was command central for all the activities in the state," said Ortego, who also is professor emeritus to the Hispanic Foundation in Washington, D.C. "Dozens of young folks here were raising trouble. The (Mexican American Youth Organization) and Raza Unida both had origins here at A&I."

MAYO was a major political organization founded in San Antonio in 1967 that sought social justice and cultural recognition through direct political confrontation and mass protest - different from preceding civil rights organizations like the GI Forum and the League of United Latin American Citizens. MAYO spurred the formation of the Raza Unida Party, which fought for economic independence, local education control, political strength and unity for minorities, primarily Mexican Americans, across the state. Both were popular in the mid-to-late 1960s and carried a strong following well into the 1970s.

The push for social change was a catalyst for what the country now knows as Hispanic Heritage Month, Ortego said Wednesday. The month begins today.

National Hispanic Heritage Week first was authorized by Congress in 1968 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was expanded into a month-long celebration from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 in 1988. During Hispanic Heritage Month, the country celebrates culture, traditions and contributions of residents with ethnic ties to Spanish-speaking regions such as Spain, Mexico, Central America, South America and the Caribbean.

Sept. 15 was chosen as the start date because it is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on Sept. 16 and Sept. 18.

Ortego, now 79, was a young professor when the push for change got under way. He watched mostly from the sidelines, suffering his own injustices. The San Antonio native who earned his degrees in English and literature, said he spent many years teaching French because his last name made it difficult to get a job teaching English.

Then, in 1970 as MAYO's strength and spirit spread through the University of Texas at El Paso, Ortego, director of Chicano Studies and an English professor, took a very personal stand and made a decision that changed his life. His students had demanded several things including that the university hire more Hispanic professors and implement more cultural studies but had only received "lip service" in return.

"I was their teacher. They looked to me for support," he said. "We took over the administration building and held the president of the university hostage for 36 hours."

Ortego was, of course, fired. He said he was fortunate enough to have a friend at a Denver university who helped him get a job there.

But still Ortego, who describes some of "the greats" as activist Cesar Chavez and MAYO founder Jose Angel Gutierrez, claims that his role in history is less than stellar.

"There were lots of us who carried the water," Ortego said.

Contact Venessa Santos-Garza at 886-3752 or HYPERLINK mailto:santosv@caller.com santosv@caller.com

This is allowed in public schools but the Pledge Of Allegiance is being driven out.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:

Once the FTAA passes, this part of the pledge will be null and void.

one Nation under God
Sorry, God is not allowed in this "New Country" and it will no longer be one nation it will be multiple nations.

indivisible
No longer true in the "New Nation" as well. We are divided because of the refusal to assimilate and become one by those who illegally enter the United States. If a country is united, it is harder for them to be controlled.


With Liberty and Justice for all
In the Americas, these ideals are passé. Justice and Liberty are for those who can afford to buy them.

KeepThePledge.com
http://www.keepthepledge.com/